Reuters: Brazilian authorities sue Cargill, JBS for labor abuses in their supply chains
Posted in Daily
JBS S.A, the world’s largest beef producer, is pictured at a plant of JBS in Santana do Araguaia, Para state, Brazil September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
By Reuters
April 29, 2026
The logo of JBS S.A, the world’s largest beef producer, is pictured at a plant of JBS in Santana do Araguaia, Para state, Brazil September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 29 (Reuters) – Brazilian labor prosecutors have filed lawsuits against five firms over labor abuses in their supply chains, with grain trader Cargill and meatpacker JBS among those targeted, they said in a statement on Wednesday.
- Prosecutors are asking a court to order JBS to pay around 119 million reais ($23.78 million) in damages in a case in Para state, where workers were found in “slavery-like” conditions in the company’s supply chain.
- Cargill is being sued for 109 million reais for “grave violations of human rights” in its soy supply chain in Rondonia state.
- The lawsuits stem from a 2020 project to track supply chains aimed at fighting human trafficking and serious labor abuses.
- JBS has not yet received notification of the lawsuit, the firm said in a statement, adding that it follows “rigorous procedures” regarding its purchases and cattle monitoring.
- Cargill did not respond to a request for comment.
- Prosecutors also signed deals with nine firms that agreed to improve the tracking of labor abuses in their supply chains.